B50HF01 Ethical Principles
Bachelor of Divinity Degree
Pacific Theological College
Semester 2B, 2015
Course Lecturer: Dr Richard Davis, Richard.Davis@ptc.ac.fj
Course Description
This course deals with Christian ethics and ethical principles. The main approaches to ethics will be
outlined and surveyed, and the course will focus on core ethical principles and the implications of such
principles in making decisions on moral issues. The nature of ethics as community ethics will be
highlighted and will provide the form and context of such decision-making, and the significance of the
Christ Event will determine its content. The course will look into some specific examples of current
moral issues in Oceania and provide students with the opportunity of engaging with such issues in view
of making ethical decisions.
Objectives
By the end of the course students should be able to:
Understand the place of character, choices and community in Christian ethics
Relate cultural stories to Christian ethics
Understand the difference between ethics and Christian ethics
Name several sources of Christian ethics
Describe various philosophical and theological ethical theories
Use the Bible in Christian ethics
Face moral problems
Method of Teaching
A combination of lectures, readings, writing, and class discussion.
Assessment
In all assessment you must ANSWER THE QUESTION. If you do not answer the question you will not
do well. If you don't understand what is required in the essay please speak to the lecturer, either in class
or after class. To pass the course you must pass both pieces of assessment.
1) Essay of 1000-1500 words worth 40% of final grade. It is due in class Monday 12 October 2014.
Select a traditional story from your culture (this could a fable, myth, legend, or tale). Examine the story
for its ethical content and how it contributes to the formation of character and community in the place
where the story is told and known.
Your essay must not simply be a retelling of the story. Your must state in brief outline what the story is
(and, if not too long, attached it as an appendix to the essay). Your essay must draw on research you have
done into the relationship between stories and ethics. You must provide evidence of this research by
citing appropriate sources (generally speaking books and journals from the library). Your assignment
1 of 6
must have a completed "PTC Assignment Cover Sheet" attached to the front of the assignment. This can
be obtained from http://ptc.ac.fj/?page_id=1136.
Suggested reading from the library collections for the essay
Anderson, Terence R. 1993. Walking the Way: Christian Ethics as a Guide Toronoto: The
United Church Publishing House. See Chapter 3 - 'Worldview and Basic Convictions: Eyes
to See, Ears to Hear'.
Hauerwas, Stanley. 1981. "A Story-Formed Community: Reflections on Watership
Down." In A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic, 9–35.
Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.
Hauerwas, Stanley, with Richard Bondi and David B. Burrell. 1977. Truthfulness and
Tragedy: Further Investigations in Christian Ethics Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame
Press. Various chapters.
Hill, Jack. 2001. "Doing Ethics in the Pacific Islands: Interpreting Moral Dimensions of
Prose Narrative." Annual of the Society of Christian Ethics, Vol. 21 (2001): 341–360.
ONLINE: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23560117
Jones, L. Gregory and Stanley Hauerwas, eds. 1989. Why Narrative?: Readings in
Narrative Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
Spohn, William C. 1990. "Parable and Narrative in Christian Ethics." Theological Studies
51 (1):100–114. ONLINE: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&
AN=ATLA0000824618&site=ehost-live
2) Final Exam to be held in Assessment Week. Three hours worth 60% of the final grade. Details to
come.
Textbook and Readings
The textbook for this class is Russell B. Connors, Jr., and Patrick T. McCormick (1998). Character,
Choices & Community: The Three Faces of Christian Ethics New York: Paulist Press. This is available
from the PTC bookshop and is also in the library. We are reading most of this book for the course so you
need to have it.
This textbook is supplemented by a number of other readings from books or journals. As required these
are taken will be kept on closed reserve in the PTC Library. Ask at the issue desk for them. It is up to
you whether you read them in the library or photocopy them for your personal study. Journal articles and
book chapters will either be available through the library's online ATLA Religion Database, or in the
library's filing cabinet.
There are several reference works on Christian Ethics also held by the library. These include:
Pocket Dictionary of Ethics by Stanley J. Grenz and Jay T. Smith (Illinois, US: InterVarsity
Press, 2003).
Dictionary of Ethics, Theology and Society edited by Paul Barry Clarke and Andrew Linzey
(London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1996).
New Dictionary of Christian Ethics and Pastoral Theology edited by David J. Atkinson et.al.
(England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1995).
The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics edited by James F. Childress and John
Macquarrie (Philadelphia: Westminister Press, 1986).
A New Dictionary of Christian Ethics edited by James F. Childress and John Macquarrie
(London: SCM Press, 1967).
2 of 6
A Dictionary of Christian Ethics edited by John Macquarrie (London: SCM Press, 1967).
There are some other general works on reserve for help with essays and exam preparation:
Boulton, Wayne G., Thomas D. Kennedy, and Allen Verhey, eds. 1994. From Christ to the
World: Introductory Readings in Christian Ethics. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
Hamel, Ronald P. and Kenneth R. Himes, eds. 1989. Introduction to Christian Ethics: A Reader.
New York: Paulist Press.
Course Outline
Week 1 - (week beginning 07 September 2015)
Session 1: Introduction to Ethics
No reading.
Session 2: Introduction to Christian Ethics
Required Reading
Fey, Bill. 2013. "Ethics in the Pacific." The Pacific Journal of Theology, Series II (49): 9–33.
Further Optional Reading
James M. Gustafson, Can Ethics Be Christian? (Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1975). [in library]
Charles E. Curran and Richard A. McCormick, eds. Readings in Moral Theology No. 2:
The Distinctiveness of Christian Ethics (New York: Paulist Press, 1980). [in library]
Paul Ramsey, Basic Christian Ethics (London: SCM Press, 1950). [in library]
Emil Brunner, The Divine Imperative: A Study in Christian Ethics (London: Lutterworth
Press, 1937). [in library]
Reinhold Niebuhr, An Interpretation of Christian Ethics (London: SCM Press, 1948). [in
library]
John H. Yoder, The Politics of Jesus: Vicit Agnus Noster (Grand Rapids: William B.
Eerdmans, 1972). [in library]
Week 2 - (week beginning 14 September 2015)
Session 1: Christian Ethics in the Pacific
Required Reading
Ryan, John J. 1976. "Moral Theology in the South Pacific - Colonization or Liberation?."
The South East Asia Journal of Theology, 17 (2):41–48. [in library]
Further Optional Reading
Forman, Charles W. (1982). The Island Churches of the South Pacific: Emergence in the
Twentieth Century. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books. Chapter 6 - 'Christian Ethics in a South
Sea Setting'. [in library]
Johnson-Hill, Jack. (1992). "Ethics in Cross-Cultural Perspective: Foundational Values in
the Pacific Islands" Pacific Journal of Theology Series II, 8:65-76. [in library]
3 of 6
Mantovani, Ennio. (1990). "Christian Dialogue with Melanesian Values and Ethics"
Catalyst 20(2): 97-115. [in library]
Scharen, Christian and Aana Marie Vigen, eds. (2011). Ethnography as Christian Theology
and Ethics. London: Continuum.
Session 2: Sources of Christian Ethics
Required Reading
Character, Choices & Community, Chapter 1.
Further Optional Reading
Anderson, Terence R. (1993). Walking the Way: Christian Ethics as a Guide Canada: The
United Church Publishing House. Chapter 5 - 'Authoritative Sources: Where the Good Way
Lies'. [in library]
Gustafson, James M. (1971). "The Relationship of Empirical Science to Moral Thought."
Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Society of America 26: 122-137. Online:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15126312/GUSTAFSON_relationship_science.pdf
Week 3 - (week beginning 21 September 2015)
Session 1: Character in Christian Ethics
Required Reading
Character, Choices & Community, Chapter 2.
Further Optional Reading
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics. Book II: Virtue of Character (1103a15-1109b29). [in library
in various editions] Online: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.2.ii.html
Hauerwas, Stanley. (1981). A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian
Social Ethic (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press. [in library]
Hauerwas, Stanley. (1972). "Toward an Ethics of Character." Theological Studies,
33(4):698–715. ONLINE: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&
AN=ATLA0000737699&site=ehost-live
Session 2: Choices in Christian Ethics
Required Reading
Character, Choices & Community, Chapter 3.
Further Optional Reading
Campbell, Cynthia M. and Lewis R. Donelson, eds. (1991). We Decide Together: A Guide to
Making Ethical Decisions Louisville: Horizons. [in library]
Week 4 - (week beginning 28 September 2015)
Session 1: Community in Christian Ethics
Required Reading
Character, Choices & Community, Chapter 4.
4 of 6
Further Optional Reading
Haughey, John C. (1977). The Faith That Does Justice: Examining the Christian Sources for
Social Change. New York: Paulist Press.
Plato, The Republic. ONLINE: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.html
Session 2: Morality and Stories
Required Reading
Character, Choices & Community, Chapter 5.
Further Optional Reading
Anderson, Terence R. (1993). Walking the Way: Christian Ethics as a Guide Canada: The
United Church Publishing House. Chapter 3 - 'Worldview and Basic Convictions: Eyes to
See, Ears to Hear'. [in library]
Week 5 - (week beginning 05 October 2015)
Session 1: Christian Stories and Christian Morality
Required Reading
Character, Choices & Community, Chapter 6.
Further Optional Reading
Spohn, William C. (1995). What Are They Saying About Scripture and Ethics?. New York:
Paulist Press. [in library]
Session 2: Conscience in Christian Ethics
Required Reading
Character, Choices & Community, Chapters 7 and 8.
Further Optional Reading
Hamel, Ronald P. and Kenneth R. Himes, eds. 1989. Introduction to Christian Ethics: A
Reader. New York: Paulist Press. Several chapters.
Week 6 - (week beginning 12 October 2015)
Session 1: Moral Norms
Required Reading
Character, Choices & Community, Chapter 9.
Further Optional Reading
Hamel, Ronald P. and Kenneth R. Himes, eds. 1989. Introduction to Christian Ethics: A
Reader. New York: Paulist Press. Several chapters.
Session 2: Moral Reasoning
Required Reading
5 of 6
Character, Choices & Community, Chapter 10.
Further Optional Reading
Hamel, Ronald P. and Kenneth R. Himes, eds. 1989. Introduction to Christian Ethics: A
Reader. New York: Paulist Press. Several chapters.
Week 7 - (week beginning 19 October 2015)
Session 1: Sin and Morality
Required Reading
Character, Choices & Community, Chapter 11.
Further Optional Reading
Hamel, Ronald P. and Kenneth R. Himes, eds. 1989. Introduction to Christian Ethics: A
Reader. New York: Paulist Press. Several chapters.
Session 2: Moral Conversion
Required Reading
Character, Choices & Community, Chapter 12.
Further Optional Reading
Hamel, Ronald P. and Kenneth R. Himes, eds. 1989. Introduction to Christian Ethics: A
Reader. New York: Paulist Press. Several chapters.
6 of 6